Cmos Batteries

Q. My PC now flashes a start-up message from a company called "Phoenix." Hitting the F1 key gets me past this, but my other problem is that the computer keeps thinking that it's 11:01 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2002.

BIOS batteries aren't expensive, but you have to get the right one for your machine.

A sail to remember

Nothing describes Mike Hirkos sailing adventure better than perseverance and self-sufficiency.

After flying the world as an Air Force lieutenant colonel, the Raft Island resident switched his means of navigating the world.

Hirko was taking his passion for sailing to a new level. From the sky to the sea, Hirko is a man of long distances. His hunger for a challenge reached new heights in May, when he attempted to sail from Florida to Gig Harbor.

The experience, although he completed just one-tenth of his voyage, is something he will never forget. Despite seven days of extreme fatigue and mysterious boat malfunctioning, Hirko blames himself for not being fully prepared.

Hirko traded his former boat, Nolhi, for a 1979 42-footer named Destiny. It has a long keel and fiberglass deck but his dream sail remains in New Zealand.

ROAD WORK

Dave Farfalla, a service technician for New Jersey Resources, spends much of the day on his computer. He checks his schedule, orders supplies, answers e-mail and fills out his time sheet.

There's just one catch: He does it all from the front seat of his company-owned van.

Supervisors "can change my whole day without talking to me," said Farfalla, a Toms River resident. "If they need me, they can send a message saying, "Please call.' "

Forget the home office. Farfalla is among a growing number of workers who spend time in a car office. They stay connected through cell phones and e-mails. They call up directions through GPS systems in their dashboards. They eat lunch, and maybe even dinner, on the road.

It has helped companies become more productive, but it doesn't come without a downside.

Local CHP officers get new in-car computers

SANTA FE SPRINGS - CHP Officer Joe Zizi pulled over a driver for speeding Thursday morning on Orr and Day Road.

With a few taps on his new laptop, Zizi verified that the driver did indeed match the photo on her driver license.

It's something he wouldn't have been able to do a year ago.

By Oct. 1, all officers in the California Highway Patrol's Santa Fe Springs office will be able to check drivers' DMV photos, map out routes via a global positioning system and write reports while still in the field. To date, only two of the office's 36 patrol cars have laptops with the new software.

"Our car truly is an officer's office now," Zizi said.

It's only been recently that CHP officers statewide were able to file reports online or access the Department of Justice's CalPhoto program for driver photos from their patrol cars, according to Officer Vinnie Smith of the CHP's Mobile Digital Computer Support Unit in Sacramento.

Xbox, PS3 and Wii: The Future of Storage

This might sound a little weird coming from a lifelong propeller head, but the last home video game I played was Pong back in the 1970s, and that was because one of my cousins got it for his birthday. Pong and other early games bear little resemblance to the games of today. Besides the technology and realism, today's games are different just in the volume sold. In the early 1970s, much of the market for the computer industry was created by both business and government desire for faster, bigger and cheaper systems. In the 1990s, the market was driven by the home PC, inspired by widespread Internet access. Everything in the industry became a commodity based on the PC and the Internet. Today I think it is quite likely that we will see a shift in the market where gaming devices become the driving force and the PC will become an add-on to the gaming device.

Altec Lansing inMotion iMV712 Digital Mini-Theater for iPod

Here's an iPod speaker system that one ups all the others I've seen on the market these days. The Altec Lansing inMotion iMV712 Digital Mini-Theater system has a built-in color display so that you can view photo slideshows and videos stored on your video iPod, on a much larger screen. Is it worth the price tag though? Let's take a closer look...

Given the fact that the iMV712 houses an 8.5 inch (diagonal) widescreen display, the whole system is relatively compact at 18.5 inches wide, 7.75 inches tall and approximately 8 inches deep.

Epson debuts new inkjet printers

Epson has added four new printers to its inkjet line-up. The $160 CX9400Fax All-In-One includes an auto document feeder for multi-page faxes and can print a 4"x6" photo in 26 seconds and claims a 32 page per minute text printing speed. Meanwhile, the $90 Stylus C120 offers a black-and-white speed of 25 pages per minute in normal mode, and 10 pages per minute in color mode. It can also print 37 black and white pages per minute in draft mode, and 20 pages per minute in color draft mode. The C120 also includes a "quiet mode," which delivers slower print speeds, but reduced volume operation.

The new CX7400 is priced at $70 and includes memory card slots. It delivers up to 28 pages per minute. The CX8400, priced at $100 includes a 2.5" LCD and has a slightly higher speed (30 pages per minute) than the CX7400.

Anny charged in battery incident

SORRENTO - Councilman Randy Anny and Judy Savoy, the mother of his child, were arrested Aug. 10 after a domestic violence investigation stemming from an incident at Savoy's home on Peggy Street in St. Amant July 29, Ascension Parish Chief Deputy Tony Bacala said Monday.Savoy was arrested and charged with simple battery (domestic violence) as a result of a misdemeanor summons issued by Sheriff's Department.Anny was arrested and charged with simple battery (domestic violence), unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling and entry or remaining after being forbidden.